This mentorship program is designed to increase the pool of minority individuals interested in and capable of pursuing a career in the biomedical sciences. Minority high school students are recruited from all the schools in the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area. They are selected on the basis of grades, letters of recommendation, and expressed personal interest. K-12 teachers and teachers-in-training are recruited from the same catchment area and are selected on the basis of expressed interest, letters of recommendation, and personal interviews. All trainees participate in a ten week summer research program, under the supervision of a wide multidisciplinary group of biomedical scientists. This experience includes both oral and written presentations and they are encouraged to take advantage of a number of available additional learning opportunities. The high school students are also assigned to a mentor who will serve as a guide and advisor. We follow these students through high school, college, and hopefully, graduate or professional school. The teachers are expected to carry back to their classrooms the beauty and excitement of biomedical research. They will be aided in preparing lesson plans and laboratory experiments for use in their schools.